She stared at the receiver. Daniel’s voice mail. Again.
Something was definitely wrong. She hung up and dialed his house. His live-in nanny, Esmerelda, picked up. “Hey, Mindy, how’s it going?”
“I’m okay,” she lied, throwing things in her suitcase in a feeble attempt to pack. “Hey, you haven’t talked to Daniel today, have you?”
“Actually, he hasn’t been home for a few days. As far as I knew, he was supposed to be home last night.” There was the sound of a washing machine in the background, reminding Mindy of all that Daniel’s life entailed—a life that was a far cry from her own.
The flicker of panic she had been feeling grew into a full-blown flame. “And you haven’t heard from him?”
“Nope, I tried calling him this morning. Anya wanted to talk to him, but it went straight to voice mail.”
Mindy glanced in the direction of her closet. What if he had been jumped, as well?
“I’ll be there in a few. Please pack Anya a bag.” She hung up the phone without waiting for Esmerelda to answer. She could apologize for her gruffness later; for now they had to get the hell out of there.
She walked downstairs with her suitcase and made her way into the living room, where Jarrod was waiting. His foot was tapping as he typed something on his phone. He was frowning as he worked.
Though he was incredibly handsome, he almost edged on a hot mess. Strangely enough, it was endearing, the way his hair matted against the side of his head and how his shirt was tucked in the back. She would’ve hated it if he had been perfect while she was so characteristically out of sync with her normal life.
“Jarrod?” she asked, her voice soft and unassuming. If she was going to have him help her with Anya, she needed to present this to him as gently as possible. If Jarrod was like most guys she’d known, having a child in tow would be the last thing he’d want.
He looked up from his phone. “Perfect.” He hurried over to her, grabbing her suitcase and wheeling toward the door. “Let’s go.”
Making their way outside, they waved down a taxi. As Jarrod put her suitcase in the trunk, she gave the driver directions to her brother’s house in New York. Jarrod sat down next to her in the back seat. Though there was enough room between them to fit another person, she suddenly felt entirely too close to him.
As they drove through the borough, Jarrod seemed glued to his phone.
“Is everything okay?” Mindy asked.
He clicked off his phone and looked over at her. “Yeah, it’ll be fine. Just making sure we have airline tickets and everything is in order when we arrive at LaGuardia.”
“Actually, we’re going to need a third ticket.” She gave him a guilty grin. “I want to take my niece with us, wherever it is we’re going. I still haven’t been able to reach Daniel, and I’m afraid something might’ve happened to him.”
Jarrod’s eyes widened slightly. “Your brother has a daughter?”
“If your friends at the DOJ don’t let us take her, I don’t think I can go. I need to make sure she stays safe. And if my family is under attack, it’s vital she be protected.”
“I see.” He nodded as he chewed on the inside of his cheek. “How old is she?”
“She’s five.” Mindy paused, unsure of exactly how much she should tell him about her niece.
“Okay, I’ll make sure she has a ticket with us.”
Surprisingly, he didn’t sound as upset as she had assumed he would be. Maybe he really wasn’t interested in her as anything more than a job. In a way the realization came as a relief, even as disappointment also swirled through her.
“There’s something else,” she continued. “Anya has special needs.”
“Allergies?”
“Actually, she has Down syndrome. We have to get her. I need to make sure she is safe.”
He looked at her for a moment. “That’s fine, but we’re going to have to move some things around.”
“I think it would be for the best.”
“Do you think she’s going to be worried about her father?” Jarrod asked.
“Well, I’m sure she’s going to notice that her father is missing. He doesn’t spend a lot of time with her, but he’s really been trying ever since he…”
“He what?” Jarrod asked.
“Anya’s mother wasn’t from the United States.” Mindy tensed. “At the time of Anya’s birth, she was living in Russia. When Daniel heard he had a daughter, he tried to convince the woman to bring her to the United States, as the care and resources are better. Instead, the woman tried to extort money from him…to the tune of $1 million.”
“Did he give it to her?”
She nodded. “He wouldn’t refuse her money to take care of their daughter. However, it soon came to light that instead of using the money for their child, she put Anya up for adoption.”
There was a long silence between them and the air was filled with the wailing of ambulances and the constant street noise of the city. She wished he would say something to give her an idea of what he was thinking.
“Does your family have this kind of drama?” She tried to laugh, but the sound came out strangled.
He snickered. “Every family brings their own kind of drama, but there is no family out there that doesn’t have issues.”
She would take that as a yes.
The taxi came to a stop in front of her brother’s building. Jarrod seemed a bit surprised, but helped her out of the cab and grabbed her bag as she made her way toward the building.
The doorman welcomed her with a warm greeting, but she didn’t hear exactly what he said so she just smiled. Jarrod followed behind her as they made their way over to the bank of elevators. She didn’t have to say anything to the man waiting inside. He pushed the button for her brother’s floor.
Again Jarrod seemed surprised, this time probably at the level of service, which once again made her wonder exactly how and where he had grown up. He’d said something about the Bronx, though he hadn’t gone into a lot of detail. Maybe that was a good thing.
“Anya is a sweetheart. You are going to really like her,” she said. “Do you know where we are going to go?”
Jarrod glanced at the bellhop and his features darkened, almost as though he was afraid the man was listening into their conversation—which, undoubtedly, he was.
“I’m so excited about a little vacation,” she said, trying to cover her mistake. “I’m thinking Rio will be nice this time of year.”
He looked bemused at her feeble attempt.
Thankfully, it didn’t take long to get to the tenth floor. Esmerelda was waiting at the door when she knocked. “Hey,” she said, opening the door. “Who’s your friend?” She gave Jarrod an admiring glance.
“I’m just her driver, ma’am,” Jarrod said. “But it is wonderful to meet you.” He sounded prim and proper, matching the almost-fitting suit he was wearing.
Mindy tried to disguise her surprise.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, driver.” Esmerelda gave him a nod.
“Is Anya ready to go?” Mindy asked.
“She should be. I put her in charge of picking a few stuffed animals she would like to take along.” Esmerelda turned and walked toward Anya’s bedroom. “How long are you planning on keeping her?”
“I don’t know, maybe a week. I’ll try and get ahold of Daniel again, but if you talk to him first…just let him know she’s with me.” She was careful not to reveal any unnecessary details.
Anya was sitting on the floor in her room. She was coloring, her wide strokes spreading off the edges of the paper and into the area rug, but, thanks to the brand, they weren’t leaving marks behind.
“Anya, sweetheart,” Mindy said, moving beside the girl and sitting down next to her. “How are you doing, honey?”
Her brunette head popped up and she gave Mindy a look of pure, unfiltered love. “Anta!” she cried, using the name she had recently assigned her. Anya smiled, her round face filled with joy as she jumped up and looped her arms around Mindy’s neck. “Presents?”
Mindy laughed. Of course, that would be the one word the five-year-old would say perfectly.
“Not today, sweetheart.”
Anya let go and went back to her coloring. Sometimes Mindy had to force herself to remember not to feel guilty or hurt. Anya was always going to be a girl who wouldn’t mask her true feelings. And right now, that honesty was to be respected.
“Anya?” she said, trying to draw her attention, but Anya was concentrating on a horse on the paper. “Anya, I was hoping that you would want to go with me on an adventure. Are you all ready to go?” she asked, careful to make it something they both wanted. The last thing she needed was for the girl to have a meltdown. Time was not on their side.
Anya stood up and, without saying a word, ran to her bed. She grabbed a stuffed unicorn, complete with big sparkly eyes. “Let’s go.” She walked to Mindy and threw her hands up in the air, wanting to be picked up.
Hopefully, Daniel was fine. But in case they were right and Daniel was…compromised…this was the only option she had. And yet, it felt strange to put her trust in Jarrod, a man she had only just met. However, he was a man who had already risked his life for her. He had known what to do with the dead man in her closet.
Her brother would probably have something cynical to say when he found out about her relationship with Jarrod. He would certainly question the man’s motives.
As much as she realized she ought to, she hated to let her mind slip to those thoughts. There were already enough questions roaring through her. Right now, she needed answers.
As she lifted the little one and hugged her to her chest, there was no question in her mind—when it came to this child, the only answer was to do anything to keep her niece safe, even if it meant placing her trust in a man she barely knew.